


Becoming a Lady

by Burgie



Series: SSO Medieval AU [25]
Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-08 05:08:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12247617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Duchess Zelda takes Lady Louisa out to get some new clothes, and introduces her to some of the other nobles of Jorvik. Zelda belongs to ZDusk, Jack belongs to SSO-Jack-Wolfwatcher, Izabella belongs to dizzy-izzy-sso on tumblr, and Madelyn belongs to firgrove on tumblr.





	Becoming a Lady

Lady Louisa was quite surprised when she received a royal messenger informing her that Duchess Zelda would like a meeting with her. Surprised and, honestly, rather dismayed. Zelda was her friend, wasn't she? Why was she acting so formal?

Her husband found her in the nursery, where she often went when in times of great distress, pacing and nibbling on her fingers.

"Whatever is the matter, my love?" asked Scott, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in close. Louisa sighed, closing her eyes against the tears that threatened to spill.

"Do you remember that night when Lady Zelda brought me home?" asked Louisa.

"Yes," said Scott. "Has she summoned you to Firgrove for a meeting already?"

"No," said Louisa, shaking her head. "At least, I do not think so. Her messengers said that she was coming to meet me tomorrow."

"Ah, then that is good, is it not?" said Scott. "No?" Louisa shook her head.

"That is just it," said Louisa. "I confess that I do not know if it is good or not. I thought that Zelda would simply show up here, perhaps with some guards for safety." Scott chuckled, and she turned around to face him. "Oh, why must you laugh at me? You know that I know nothing. I may be eloquent, but only because I am well-read." She was even more well-read now, spending most of her time reading while her son slept or played. She occasionally rode her horse, but her fear of gossip kept her inside most of the time.

"I know," said Scott, kissing her on the cheek. "You need not fear this meeting, my love. Lady Zelda is a noble, that is the only reason why this meeting is so formal. It will be quite informal once she gets here, and you will relax once you are in friendly company."

"Are you sure?" asked Louisa, looking up at him with sadness in her gaze. Scott kissed her forehead.

"Yes, I am sure," said Scott. "Now, try to relax, my love. Or perhaps I could help you relax?" He kissed her, and Louisa felt the warmth and comfort that she always felt when in her husband's embrace.

"Not in front of the baby," said Louisa, and smiled at him. "But yes." They adjourned to the bedroom.

The next day, Louisa was once more in a state of anxiety as the minutes dragged by while she sat in the parlour. She hadn't had a parlour in her old house, it had been little more than a kitchen, a living room, two bedrooms, and a tiny outhouse. A part of her missed the old days, but she wouldn't trade her son and her husband for anything.

"What if she is not coming?" asked Louisa, biting her fingers again. "Was I supposed to reply?"

"A reply would not have reached her in time," said Scott. "But she will come. I am certain that you will hear her arriving any moment now."

"Would it be improper to have you relax me while we wait?" asked Louisa.

"Highly," said Scott, a rare blush colouring his cheeks. Louisa blushed too, and tried to relax with her husband by her side.

The sound of trumpets startled Louisa, sending her heartrate rocketing up again, and she cried out and stood in alarm. Scott chuckled, standing with her and rubbing her arms to soothe her.

"It is alright, my love," said Scott. "It is only her heralds announcing that she is here."

"Oh," said Louisa. "Should I sit back down?"

"No," said Scott. "Stand for her arrival."

"How am I supposed to greet her?" asked Louisa. "I did not greet her properly last time, nor did I greet the queen properly at her ball, oh, what if that is why she is here? Perhaps she is ending our friendship because I was rude to the queen!"

"She would not do that," said Scott, trying to soothe his wife by brushing her hair behind her ear. Louisa smiled at the gesture. "Lady Zelda is known for her kindness, and she knows that you are still very new to being a lady." Louisa bit her bottom lip but allowed Scott's words to soothe her.

"Thank you," said Louisa, and gave him a kiss. She only broke away from him when there came a rapping at the door. A servant answered it, but Louisa stood very close to the door, Scott right behind her.

"Announcing the duchess Lady Zelda!" a herald announced, and Zelda entered the room, smiling warmly at the sight of her new friend. Louisa tried very hard to keep her eyes on Zelda's and not look away.

"Good day, Lady Louisa," said Zelda. Louisa wasn't sure whether or not she should bow, so she did anyway, and then worried that it had been the wrong thing to do. She then realised that she hadn't greeted Zelda in return.

"Good day to you, Lady Zelda," said Louisa, bowing again for good measure. Zelda smiled, and Louisa thought that she might be holding back laughter. "It is a wonderful pleasure to have you in my home."

"Well, I shan't be here much longer," said Zelda.

"Oh?" said Louisa, her heart suddenly stopping. "And why is that?" This was it, this was when Zelda was going to announce them as no longer friends, when she would walk out of her life for good, when she was going to declare that she could not stand to be in the company of a common prostitute.

"We are going to go shopping," said Zelda. Louisa's thoughts suddenly ground to a halt.

"I... I beg your pardon?" said Louisa, very confused.

"Well, it has come to my attention that you are a newly-titled noble woman in a household full of men," said Zelda. "One cannot possibly expect you to dress properly when you have not got a single female role model in this house! Now, I know that I am of a far higher status than you, but some of the more general rules of etiquette apply across all social statuses." Louisa looked confused, lost in all of the fancy language. She felt like crying.

"I am afraid that my wife may be a little overwhelmed," said Scott, passing Louisa a handkerchief that he always kept on his person for just this reason. She dabbed at her eyes with it.

"Oh! My apologies," said Zelda. "In more simpler terms, I am taking you shopping for new clothing so that you look like the lady that you are. Of course, you will also need lessons on manners and other such things, but if you look like a lady, you are already halfway there."

"Oh," said Louisa, calming for only a moment before the meaning sank in. "Oh, thank you, Lady Zelda, you are too kind! I will forever be in your debt."

"That is, if you have permission from your husband to leave?" said Zelda, looking meaningfully at Scott.

"Yes, of course you may take my wife out to buy new clothes," said Scott. "I look forward to seeing what she looks like upon your return." Fortunately, Louisa knew better than to comment that Scott was also looking forward to taking off her new clothes.

The marketplace in Crescent Moon Village was much quieter than the one back home had been. Still, it had much nicer clothing, and it also had the benefit of not smelling like fish.

"Now, you have the entire marketplace at your disposal, but you should still pick material in the royal blue of Castle Epona," said Zelda as they walked through the marketplace. Louisa looked around curiously, glad to have Zelda there to protect her from any nasty people. The woman with the honey, who usually had a thing or two to say about 'the Buttergood whore', looked sullenly down at her honey as they passed.

"I like this," said Louisa, fingering some dark blue fabric that felt quite light and nice on her skin.

"This could make a nice dress," said Zelda, picking up the bolt of fabric. "We shall quickly go to the seamstress, so that your clothing will be ready for your journey if your husband permits it."

"What journey?" asked Louisa, suddenly nervous. Would she be away from her son for a long time? Could someone accompany her?

"A journey to meet the other nobles, of course," said Zelda. "And do not fret, my dear, they are my friends and they are quite nice people."

"I trust you," said Louisa, feeling suddenly quite pale again.

"Ah, I see that I have overwhelmed you again," said Zelda. "My apologies, Louisa. I shall escort you home after I order your dress to be made."

Fortunately, this task was completed without incident, and Louisa found that her legs could barely hold her up by the time she got home. Seeing this, Zelda took a seat opposite Scott and Louisa in the parlour.

"Lord Scott," said Zelda. "I wish to take your wife on a journey to see the other nobles of Jorvik."

"I will allow it," said Scott, but, seeing his wife's frightened eyes, he continued, "but I do have a request: I should like to travel with her." Louisa relaxed upon hearing this, leaning heavily on her husband.

"A very thoughtful request," said Zelda. "Of course you can come with her."

"And my son?" asked Louisa. "I do not want to leave him alone for a very long time."

"The journey will not be long," said Zelda. "But unfortunately, I cannot allow you to take your son. He must be left at home with his nursemaid."

"Oh," said Louisa, looking down sadly. "Then I am afraid that I... I must decline your offer, Lady Zelda. I am so terribly sorry, and I understand if you want to cease your dealings with me."

"Not at all," said Zelda, gently laying a hand on Louisa's shoulder. "I am not a mother myself, but I understand that the bond between mother and son is strong and important. However, I have a new plan."

"And what is that?" asked Louisa.

"I will bring all of the royals to me," said Zelda. "I shall throw a ball very soon, and invite every royal in Jorvik. I will also invite you, of course. That way, everyone will be in the one place, and you need only travel to Firgrove."

"That is a wonderful idea, and a very generous offer, Lady Zelda," said Louisa, smiling even as tears threatened to fall. "Thank you very, very much. I accept the invitation, of course."

"Good, very good," said Zelda, sitting back and smiling. "Then I shall hurry home and make the preparations. You will receive an invitation to the ball once I have finalised the date."

"Thank you," said Louisa again, smiling. Once Zelda had left, she embraced her husband and then walked back upstairs to take a nap in the nursery, dreaming of the life of nobility.

Of course, on the night of the ball, Louisa's nerves returned as she stood outside Zelda's lavish home.

"It is alright," said Scott, his hand firmly on her waist to anchor her there. "I will be there with you every step of the way, and so will Zelda."

"I confess, much as I love you, it cheers me greatly to have a female companion," said Louisa.

"I understand," said Scott, kissing her on the cheek. Feeling brave, Louisa walked into the ballroom, for once excited by the sights and smells of the nobility at play. She did not see the judging looks for once, nor did she hear the whispers. Instead, she felt like a lady, as Zelda had said she would when dressed in proper attire. A small part of her still felt like a peasant woman playing at being a noble, but, when she saw Zelda beckoning her over from within her group of friends, she felt that small part of her vanish.

"At last, she has arrived," said Zelda, smiling as she gestured to Louisa. "This is Lady Louisa, and these are my friends and fellow nobles. You of course recognise Lady Izabella." She gestured to a white-haired woman, one whom Louisa recognised from her last disastrous ball. Louisa blushed at the memory.

"It is delightful to see you again," said the queen, and Louisa was relieved to find not a trace of resentment in her tone.

"I hope that this time I do not make such a fool of myself," said Louisa.

"Do try not to," said Izabella. "After all, you are representing my court." But she laughed, and Louisa gave a little burst of nervous laughter too.

"This is Queen Madelyn of Jarlaheim," said Zelda, gesturing to a chestnut-haired woman who Louisa did not recognise.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," said Madelyn. "Your home is quite close to mine, perhaps you and your husband might like to pay a visit sometime."

"I may do that someday," said Scott. "After all, my father is always telling me to familiarise myself with the neighbouring cities."

"And this here is my best friend, Duke Jack Wolfwatcher of Valedale," said Zelda, gesturing to the blue-haired man with a grin.

"I do believe that I recognise you," said Louisa, her cheeks warming. "From the last ball. I was the fainted lady at the table."

"Do not fear, I had only pity for you," said Jack. "You appeared to be quite distressed."

"I was," said Louisa. "But only because I am unused to being in public as a lady."

"Not to worry, you will get used to it," said Zelda. Jack chuckled.

"Be grateful that you are only a noble lady, and not a queen or duchess," said Jack. "You have no expectations to live up to, and certainly no responsibility to lead anything. You just have to look after your family."

"And deal with the gossips," said Louisa, trying not to play with her hair. It had been curled so nicely for this ball.

"Would that I could cut out the tongue of every gossip," said Jack with a sigh. "We all have to deal with that, don't worry."

"May I ask how?" asked Louisa, playing with her necklace instead.

"Ignore them," said Jack. "Or, if you cannot ignore them, seek comfort in the arms of your loved ones. They do not judge."

"However, I do believe that the gossiping will be less severe once you start acting like a lady," said Izabella. "Some of it reaches my ears."

"I will try," said Louisa. "Though I have much to learn."

"Well, you just got a large group of people to teach you," said Zelda, gesturing to the group as a whole. Louisa smiled. It was nice to have friends. Or, at the very least, people she could rely on.


End file.
